JP2003015723A - Work distribution planning supporting device using visual display screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly obtain work distribution by supporting a process for distributing the several thousands of works into the several hundreds of processes. SOLUTION: This device comprises of a work list storing means 2 for storing a work group, a working time and an in-product working position, an in-process work list storing means 4 for storing a work group distributed to each process and the order of work in the process, a walking time calculating means 6 for calculating the walking time of an operator from the order of work stored in the storing means 4 and the in-product working position of the work in the order of the work, a 'visual display screen of work distribution' display means 8 for estimating and displaying the working time and the walking time in a Y direction according to the order of the work in the process at the position of each work in the picture whose X axis indicates the process, and whose Y axis indicates a time, a movement permitting means 30 for permitting a planning operator to designate and move the specific work in the display screen, and an updating means 32 for updating the storage contents of the storing means 4 according to the movement result of the previous page. Thus, the planning operator can visually confirm and improve the work distribution.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For example, in an automobile assembly plant, automobiles are manufactured by performing thousands of operations using thousands of parts. In a typical mass-production factory, hundreds of workers are responsible for assembling thousands of types of work while assembling automobiles. In this specification, a work group distributed to one worker is referred to as a process. In a normal mass production factory, a plurality of works are distributed to a plurality of processes and products are manufactured through the plurality of processes. In such a production system, it is necessary to decide which work group is allocated to which process,
If the work allocation is reasonably determined, high quality products can be produced reasonably and efficiently, whereas if the work allocation is unreasonable, it will be wasteful. The present invention relates to a technique for planning rational work distribution in a short period of time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various things must be taken into consideration when allocating thousands of operations to hundreds of processes. For example, (1) The work time for each process must be substantially uniform. If it is not uniform, a process that requires a long time is unreasonable, and a process that requires a short time is wasted. (2) The work group allocated to the process should not be randomly distributed, and is preferably related to the function required for the product. In the case of an automobile, for example, one or a plurality of processes may complete the assembly work of the exhaust system component group, and another one or a plurality of processes may complete the assembly work of the braking system component group, for example. preferable. By doing so, the morale of the worker is enhanced, the inspection process can be rationally distributed, and high quality products can be stably produced. (3) When focusing on the above-mentioned functions, the order of assembling by function is important, and product knowledge and various know-how associated with assembling work are required to determine the optimum order of assembling. (4) Depending on the work, there is a work in which the predecessor relationship with other work is restricted. For example, there are tasks that can be performed only after completing a task. Alternatively, there are two or more operations that need to be performed in the same process. (5) Depending on the work, there is a work in which the position to be carried out is restricted due to the relation with the production equipment. (6) In the case of a large product such as an automobile, the work position is also important, and if many works having different work positions are distributed in the same process, it takes time to walk. . The process of allocating thousands of operations to hundreds of processes in consideration of the various events described above becomes very complicated, and the current information processing technology cannot satisfactorily deal with it.
At present, work allocation is decided based on trial and error and the personal ability of experienced work allocation planners.

[0003]

However, the process of deciding the work distribution by repeating trial and error while depending on the personal ability of the veteran planner requires a long time,
A long period of time is required for the production preparation stage. Therefore, the present invention has been completed for the purpose of developing a device that strongly supports the process of determining work distribution, and thereby obtaining rational work distribution in a short period of time.

[0004]

[Means and Actions for Solving the Problem] A work distribution planning support device realized by the present invention allocates a plurality of works to a plurality of processes and produces a product through the plurality of processes. Is a device that supports the process of deciding whether to allocate, and is composed of a computer. The computer device of the present invention includes a storage device, a display device, a display control device, and an arithmetic device.

One computer device of the present invention is provided with the following means, as its concept is schematically shown in FIG. Work list storage means 2: Stores work groups, work time of each work, and work position in the product. In-process work list storage means 4: stores, for each process, a work group allocated to the process and a work order within the process. Walking time calculation means 6: Calculates the walking time of the worker from the work order stored in the in-process work list storage means 4 and the in-product work position of the work of that work order. "Work distribution visual display screen" Display means 8: Work time and walking according to the work order in the process at the position of each process in the screen where the process is taken along the X axis and time is taken along the Y axis. A visual display screen of work distribution in which time is integrated and displayed in the Y-axis direction is displayed. Movement permission means 30: Allows the planning worker to designate and move a specific work within the displayed work distribution visual display screen. Update unit 32: Updates the stored contents of the in-process work list storage unit 4 according to the movement result by the movement permission unit 30.

According to this computer device, the in-process work list storage means 4 stores the work groups to be carried out in each process and their order of execution in an organized manner. Since the work position in the product for each work is stored in the work list storage means 2, it is possible to calculate the walking time during which the worker in charge of one process completes one process. As a result, the “work distribution visual display screen” can be displayed by the in-process work list storage means 4 and the walking time calculation means 6. In the "work distribution visual display screen", the processes are shown along the X axis and the time is shown along the Y axis, and the work is performed at the position of each process in the screen according to the work order within the process. Time and walking time are integrated and displayed in the Y-axis direction. By referring to the “work distribution visual display screen”, the planning worker can immediately grasp the uniformity of the work time for each process and the like, and can specify the necessary correction. This computer system gives the planning worker a "visual display of work distribution".
Allows you to specify and move specific work within. For example, in FIG. 1, since the work group allocated to the process 1 is too large and the work time is longer than that of the process 2, the planning worker specifies the work 3 (the arrow 16 indicates the work 3). Moved to the back of work 7 of process 2 (indicates designation) (arrow 1
8) is illustrated. In this computer, when the planning worker moves the work within the “work distribution visual display screen” by the movement permitting means 30, the updating means 32 operates and the stored contents of the in-process work list storing means 4 according to the movement result. To update. When the contents stored in the in-process work list storage unit 4 are updated, the walking time is calculated again, and the “work distribution visual display screen” is updated. In FIG. 44, a “work distribution visual display screen” updated after the movement is illustrated.
The work 3 in the process 1 is moved to the back of the work 7 in the process 2. The planning worker can improve the unreasonable work distribution to a rational one while looking at the “work distribution visual display screen”, and can obtain the rational work distribution in a short period of time. At this time, since the work distribution is planned in consideration of the walking time as well, highly accurate planning is possible.

When the computer apparatus, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, stores constraint conditions storing means 36 for storing constraint conditions between works and the movement result by the movement permitting means 30 violates the constraint conditions. It is preferable to further have means 40 for issuing a warning. Depending on the work, there is a work in which the relationship between the work and the other work is restricted. For example, there is a work that can be performed only after a certain work is completed, and there are two or more works that need to be performed in the same process. If such a constraint condition is stored in the constraint condition storage means 36, a warning is issued when the planning worker inadvertently corrects the work distribution and violates the constraint condition. Therefore, the constraint condition is violated. Work allocation is never planned.

It is also preferable that the computer device further has means for additionally displaying a symbol indicating a constraint condition between works in the "work distribution visual display screen". Figure 1
In the case of, the arrow 14 indicates that there is a constraint condition "work 4 must be performed before work 8",
The arrow 12 illustrates that there is a constraint condition that "work 4 and work 5 must be performed in the same process". When these constraint conditions are shown, it is prevented that the planning worker inadvertently corrects the work distribution that violates the constraint conditions.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the computer device produces a constraint condition storing means 38 for storing constraint conditions of work and process and a process in a "work distribution visual display screen". It is preferable to further include means for additionally displaying the equipment layouts 26 and 28, and means 40 for issuing a warning when the movement result by the movement permitting means 30 violates the constraint condition. Depending on the work, there is a work in which the position where the work is performed is restricted in relation to the production equipment. In the case of FIG. 1, since the work 6 is a work using the fixed equipment 26, the work 6 exemplifies that there is a constraint condition (see arrow 24) that must be executed in the step 2. If such constraint conditions are stored in the work-process constraint condition storage means 38, a warning is issued when the planning worker inadvertently corrects the work distribution and violates the constraint conditions. There is no plan for work allocation that is contrary to the above.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the computer device additionally displays means for displaying takt time (see line 46) in a "work distribution visual display screen" and is entered by the planning operator. It is preferable to further include means 50 for displaying the work groups 52, 54 and 56 having work times close to the input work time by searching the work list storage means 2 with the work time to be performed as a key. If a display showing the tact time (see line 46) is additionally displayed in the "work distribution visual display screen", the planning worker must know the excess or deficiency of the work time in order to substantially match the tact time. You can In the case of FIG. 1, since the line 46 showing the tact time is displayed, the planning worker can recognize that the work allocation in the process 2 is wasted only for the time 48. In this case, the planning worker can input the working time 48 and have the computer search. The computer searches the work list storage means 2 and displays work groups 52, 54, 56 having work times close to the input work time 48,
The planning worker can quickly know the candidate of the work suitable to be newly allocated to the process 2. In this way
It is possible to obtain lean work allocation in a short period of time.

As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the computer device aggregates and displays the work time and the walking time for each step of the "work distribution visual display screen". It is preferable to further have means for switching and displaying on the "display screen" 45. On the display screen 45, the walking time (shown with diagonal lines) and the working time (shown without hatching) are aggregated and displayed separately, and in this case, the total walking time in the process Can be visually grasped immediately. By displaying the aggregated work time on the lower side, it is possible to immediately visually grasp the total work time in the process. As a result, the planning worker can correct the work distribution while grasping the total walking time and the total working time in the process, and avoid the situation of planning the work distribution where time is wasted on unnecessary walking. You can

In an automobile assembly factory or the like, the number of processes is large, reaching hundreds of processes. In this case, it is difficult to display all processes in one display device. This problem can be solved by adding means for displaying to the computer device using two or more display devices in which a "visual display screen of work distribution" is continuously arranged, as schematically shown in FIG. In this case, it is preferable that the display devices are allowed to refer to other screens or move the work between multiple screens.

The device realized for the first time in the present invention is novel as the computer itself. This new computer, at the position of each process in the screen where the process is taken along the X axis and the time is taken along the Y axis, the working time and the walking time between the works are calculated according to the order of work in the process. Display the "work distribution visual display screen" that is integrated in the axial direction. Since this computer is realized, a screen for visually displaying work distribution can be obtained. The work distribution planning worker can proceed with the planning work while visually grasping the work distribution, and can obtain a reasonable work distribution in a short period of time. On the display device of the computer, the work time and the walking time between the works are displayed at the position of each process in the screen where the process is taken along the X axis and the time is taken along the Y axis according to the order of work in the process. A program for displaying a "work distribution visual display screen" that is cumulatively displayed in the axial direction is also a creation of the present invention, and the purpose of the present invention was achieved because this program could be created.

It is preferable that the computer additionally displays a display 10 showing the work time of the work not associated with the process by the length in the Y-axis direction. As will be described later in detail, the method of planning work allocation is to compare the parts group or work group of the product that has already started production with the part group or work group of the product to be manufactured, There is a method of highlighting the differences and paying attention to the differences, and planning the work allocation for the products to be manufactured from now on. In this case, as schematically shown in FIG.
By additionally displaying the display 10 showing the work time of the work 9 not associated with the process by the length in the Y-axis direction, the work to be distributed to the process is clearly shown and the planning work of the planning worker is greatly assisted. . In the case of FIG. 1, it is shown that the work 9 is not yet allocated to the process, and therefore, the case where the planning worker designates the work 9 (see the arrow 20) and allocates it to the process 1 (see the arrow 22) is illustrated. As a result, the “work distribution visual display screen” is updated as in 44.

It is preferable that the computer additionally displays the production facility layouts 26 and 28 in association with the process. As shown in FIG. 1, the production facility layouts 26, 28 are associated with the processes on the “work distribution visual display screen”.
Is exemplified, the relationship between the work progress and the equipment layout can be understood at a glance, and the constraint condition between the process and the work can be easily understood. In FIG. 1, the fixed equipment 26 is located at the execution position of the process 2, and the work 6 using the fixed equipment 26 must be performed in the process 2, and the work 6 is fixed to the process 2. is doing.

The computer is provided with a function that allows a planning worker to specify a specific work in the “work distribution visual display screen” and move it within the “work distribution visual display screen”. Is highly preferred. In this case, the planner can use the “work distribution visual display screen” to understand the work distribution at a glance and improve the work distribution, and obtain a reasonable work distribution in a short period of time. it can.

In recent years, mass production factories often do not fully produce the same product, but produce mixed products of many kinds. For example, within one day, 100 products 1 will be produced and 15 products 2 will be produced.
There is a case where 0 units are produced. The work load of the same process often changes depending on the type of product. For example, the product 2 may have a high work load in the process 1 and the product 2 may have a low work load in the process 2. Regarding work distribution, it is necessary that not only the work load variation between processes is small, but also the work load variation by product type is small for each process. In such a case, the computer device
As illustrated in FIG. 3, "visual display screen of work distribution for specific product" 62, 64 and "averaged work time and walking time for weighted and averaged product groups produced in a unit period" are displayed. It is preferable that the "work distribution visual display screen" 60 can be switched and displayed.
By referring to the “visualized screen of work distribution averaged” 60, it is possible to grasp the degree of variation in the work load between processes, and refer to the “visual display screen of work distribution for a specific product” 62, 64. By
It is possible to visually grasp the degree of work load variation depending on the product type.

Another work distribution planning support apparatus of the present invention is, as schematically shown in FIG. 4, a used parts group list storage means 70 for storing a parts group used for product production,
For each part, a work of assembling the part, a working time of the part, a work position within the product, and a priority order when the production process is roughly classified are stored.
In-process work list storage means 4 that stores the work group allocated to each process and the work order within that process
And means 6 for calculating the walking time of the worker from the work order stored in the in-process work list storage means 4 and the in-product work position of the work of that work order, and the work in the process for each process Means 74 for calculating the total time of walking time and walking time
Under the condition that the priority order is roughly classified and the total time is within a predetermined time, a work group to be distributed to the process is searched and stored in the in-process work list storage means 4. Means 76 are provided. Since the "parts-assembly work master storage means" 72 of this computer device stores the work of assembling each part, the work time and the in-product work position, a list of parts to be used is stored. Once obtained, one can see what work is needed, how much time it takes, and where in the product the work is performed. Parts are closely related to product function. The research conducted by the inventors of the present invention has revealed that the work groups to be allocated to the process should not be distributed in a chaotic manner and are preferably associated with the function required for the product. In the case of automobiles, for example, the assembly work of the exhaust system parts group is completed by one or more processes,
It is preferable that, for example, the assembling work of the braking system component group is completed by one or more other steps. By doing so, the morale of the worker is enhanced, the inspection process can be rationally distributed, and high quality products can be stably produced. Moreover, when focusing on the above functions, the order of assembling by function is important, and high-quality products can be produced without waste if production is performed in a specific function order, whereas it is not possible to produce products in any other order.・ We know that waste occurs. Many trials and errors have been repeated until the optimum order is known, and it can be said that this is an important know-how. Therefore, by classifying parts by function, it is possible to determine the priority order when roughly classifying by function, and by accurately determining this, plan work distribution by utilizing the know-how accumulated in the past. You can Since the "parts-assembly work master storage means" 72 of this computer device stores the priority order when the production process is roughly classified for each part, the number of works having the same priority order is reduced, If the number of operations is reduced, it is possible to automatically calculate the work distribution in which the work time for each process is homogenized. Since this computer device stores the priority order roughly classified according to the function of the parts, the automatic calculation of the work distribution can be performed within a practical time period.
It is possible to automatically calculate the work distribution by utilizing the know-how accumulated in the past. The automatically calculated work distribution can be displayed on the "Work distribution visual display screen".
Can be modified by the planner. Since the work allocation as the starting point for the correction is automatically calculated, a reasonable work allocation can be obtained in a short period of time.

In the case of mixed production of various products, if the work group in the process greatly changes for each product, the proficiency of the work does not progress and the work is difficult to carry out. In this case, it is more rational to work in the same process for commonly used parts even if the products are different. The present invention also realizes a computer device capable of answering this request. As shown schematically in FIG. 5, this computer device, for a product that has already started to be produced, for each process, a group of parts used in that process, a work group allocated to that process, and the inside of that process. In-process work list storage means 80 for storing the work order of the new product, new product used parts list storage means 82 for storing the parts group used for the product to be manufactured, and parts The parts-assembly work master storage means 72, which stores the work for assembling the parts, the work time, the work position within the product, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified, and the parts used for the new product. A means 84 for searching the in-process work list storage means 80 of an off-the-shelf product using the parts stored in the group list storage means 82 as a key and specifying the use process and the in-process work order of the parts, and the means 84.
For a part not specified in step 1, a means 86 for displaying the work stored in the part-assembly work master storage means 72, the work time, the work position within the product, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified is provided. This computer device has
A means 84 is provided for searching the in-process work list storage means 80 of an existing product by using the parts stored in the used product group list storage means 82 of the new product as a key and specifying the use process and the in-process work order of the parts. Therefore, even if the products are different, it is possible to obtain the work distribution in which the common parts are worked in the same process. In addition, for the parts group unique to the new product, the means 86 displays the work for the part, the work time, the work position within the product, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified. The person can obtain the work that needs to be newly allocated and the information that needs to be known when allocating the work. Using this computer, at the start of the planning work, the work distribution already obtained for the parts common to the existing products is displayed visually, and for the parts group unique to the new product, the work distribution for the parts Since the work time, the work position in the product, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified can be visually displayed, it is possible to quickly obtain work distribution consistent with the production work for the ready-made product.

[0020]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, since the planning process of complicated work distribution is strongly supported, the burden on the planning worker is reduced, and rational work distribution can be obtained in a short time. The period from the completion of product design to the start of mass production can be significantly shortened, and production activities with less effort and less waste can be started.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First, the features of the embodiments and examples described below will be listed. (Mode 1) As schematically shown in FIG. 6, it is a computer for calculating a working time group of a work group required for product production from a list of parts groups used for product production, which computer is used for product production. Used component group list storage means 70 that stores the component group, component-assembly work master storage means 90 that stores the work of assembling the component and the work time for each component, and the used component group list Storage means 7
And a means 94 for searching the part-assembly work master storage means 90 and specifying the work time group using the part group stored in 0 as a key. In the past, when deciding the work allocation for mass production activities, work units were taken into consideration, and it was difficult to organize the work group list. In this form, parts-
Since the assembling work master storage means 90 is prepared to store the work of assembling each part and the working time thereof, when the used parts group list is completed in the product design activity, the parts list is used. A work group list and a work time group list are obtained. Since the working time group is specified from the used parts group list, it is possible to plan the work distribution from the used parts group list.

(Mode 2) As schematically shown in FIG.
A computer that calculates a working time group of a work group including walking work necessary for product production from a list of component groups used for product production, and the computer stores a group of components used for product production A list storage means 70,
For each part, a part-assembling work master storage means 90 that stores the work of assembling the part, the work time and the work position within the product, and a means 9 that stores the work order of the work group
6 and the parts group assembling work master storage means 90 using the parts group stored in the used parts group list storage means 70 as a key.
And a means 6 for calculating the walking time of the worker from the work order stored in the work order storage means 94 and the work position in the product of the work of the work order stored in the work order storage means 94. ing. According to this computer device, the working time group is specified from the used part group list and the work order data, and the walking time is calculated. Therefore, it is possible to plan the work distribution from the used part group list.
Although the contents stored in the work order storage unit 96 are not fixed unless work distribution is decided, it is possible to temporarily store the work in the planning process. Be supported by.

(Mode 3) A computer for calculating a work time group of a work group required for product production from a list of component groups used for product production, and the computer stores the group of components used for product production. Used part group list storage means 70, a part-assembly work master storage means 90 that stores the size and / or weight and work classification of each part, and the size and / or weight and work classification of the part In contrast, the work time master 92 storing the work time, the parts group stored in the used parts group list storage means 70, and the parts-assembly work master storage means 90 are searched by using the parts as a key. Size of parts and /
Alternatively, there is provided a means 94 for searching the work time master 92 and specifying the work time group using the weight and the work classification as keys. In this case, instead of storing the working time for each of the parts, the size and / or weight of the part and the work classification (for example, the type of work such as taking out, setting or tightening) are stored. Keep it. On the other hand, the work time master 92 stores the work time for the size and / or weight of the part and the work classification. Therefore, when the part is specified, the work time is stored in the part-assembly work master storage means 90 and the work. The working time is specified from the time master 92. According to this computer device, it is possible to relatively easily prepare a database for specifying the working time from the parts.

When the number of parts is plural, it does not mean that it takes twice as long as one, just because it is two. In order to accurately calculate the working time in relation to the number of parts, it is preferable to use the computer of the form 4. (Mode 4) A computer for calculating the working time of a work group required for product production from a list of component groups used for product production, in which the computer stores the group of components used for product production and the number of parts Parts group list storage means 7
0, a part-assembly work master storage means 90 that stores the size and / or weight and work classification of each part, and the part size and / or weight, work classification, and the number of parts A work time master 92 storing work time, a part group and the number of parts stored in the used part group list storage means 70, and a part using the part as a key.
A means 94 for searching the work time master 92 and specifying a work time group by using the size and / or weight of the parts retrieved from the assembling work master storage means 90 and the work classification as keys.
Is equipped with. According to this computer device, an accurate working time can be calculated for the number of parts used.

[0025]

Embodiment FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a computer device that constitutes a work distribution planning support device using a visual display screen. Note that the hardware configuration of the computer device is an ordinary computer including a storage device, a display device, a display control device, a calculation device, and the like, and a description thereof will be omitted. Various lists are stored in the storage device of the computer device. Product-List of used parts group 1
02: The group of parts to be used, the size and / or weight of the part, and the number of parts are stored for each product to be mixed and produced. An example thereof is shown in FIG. 9, and the part type is specified by the combination of the parent part number and the child part number, and the part is standardly used for the product of the type of product 1, the product 2 is an optional part, and the product 3 It is memorized that it is not used in. The option means that even products of the same type are used or not used depending on the customer's choice. Information indicating the total length and weight of each part and the number of parts used in the product are stored in association with each part.
It is referred to when calculating the working time of the work using the part. The name of the part is stored in association with the part, which helps the planner's understanding.

Parts-assembly work master 104 (FIG. 7): For all parts that may be used in this production facility, work IDs that specify the work that uses the parts, work classification, and work within the product The position, the working time, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified are stored. In the case where the previous and subsequent relationships are restrained between the works, the relationships after the washing are stored here. Usually, a plurality of works correspond to one part, and when the parts are taken out from the parts shelf, set and tightened, three works correspond to one part. In this case, three work IDs are stored for one part. The work ID is an ID that identifies which work among thousands of kinds of work, and the work I
The work distribution is described by associating D with the process. The work classification is a broad classification of work types.
A part is illustrated in the left column of FIG. Whether to take it out, set it, tighten it, temporarily tighten it,
It can be classified at the level of binding or insertion. The in-product work position is information indicating where work is to be performed on the product (in this case, an automobile), and the work position is described by a two-letter symbol as illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 15, the right side is the front of the automobile and the automobile portion is divided into 26. Working time is work I
It is the work time for each work specified by D, and is calculated using the work time master of FIG. 11 (106 in FIG. 7). As illustrated in FIG. 11, the work time master is a database in which the work time is obtained by specifying the work classification, the size and / or weight of the parts, and the number of parts. For example, the number of parts required to take out parts that fit in the palm is 3
If the number is 4 or more, it takes 2.0 seconds. If the number is 4 or more, it takes 2.0 seconds. It takes 1.4 seconds to take out a part with a total length of 500 mm or a weight of 1 kg or less. The work time master stores the normal work time required for the work classification, the size and / or weight of the parts, and the number of parts as keys. The work time master can be said to be a database that generally describes the relationship of work times that is generally established. As illustrated in FIG. 9, information indicating the size and weight of the parts and information indicating the number of parts are stored in the used part group list, and as shown in FIG. Since the information indicating the classification is described,
The work time is calculated by referring to the work time master of FIG. 11 using these as keys. The work time calculated in this way is stored in the parts-assembly work master shown in FIG. By using the work time master, it is not necessary to actually measure the work time for each work, and it is possible to easily obtain a highly accurate work time. The information indicating the total length and weight of the parts can be obtained by referring to the used parts list in FIG.
It may be stored in either of 0 parts-assembly work master, or both. Parts are closely related to product function. The research conducted by the inventors of the present invention has revealed that the work groups to be allocated to the respective processes should not be distributed in a chaotic manner, but it is preferable to allocate them in association with the function required for the product. In the case of an automobile, for example, one or a plurality of processes may complete the assembly work of the exhaust system component group, and another one or a plurality of processes may complete the assembly work of the braking system component group, for example. preferable. By doing so, the morale of the worker is enhanced, the inspection process for each function can be rationally distributed, and high-quality products can be stably produced. Moreover, when allocating with focus on the above functions, the order of assembling by function is important, and if you manufacture in a specific function order, you can forcefully produce high-quality products, but in other orders. It is known that production will be unreasonable and wasteful.
Therefore, if the parts are classified by function, it is possible to determine the priority order when the production processes are roughly classified, and this is stored in the part-assembly work master illustrated in FIG. By accurately determining this, it is possible to plan work distribution utilizing the know-how accumulated in the past. FIG. 14 shows an example of this. In the case of a car, if the functions are divided into 55 types, the assembly work is completed for each function,
It has become clear that high quality products can be produced. The major classification sequence is the optimal sequence that has been empirically known.In the case of automobiles, the work related to the instrument panel function is completed before the work related to the exhaust function is completed, and then the work related to the interior function is completed. Then, it has become clear that the most efficient production is possible. Since this know-how is stored in the parts-assembling work master 104, the work distribution planning worker can make a plan by utilizing the past know-how.

The working time master 106 shown in FIG.
It is shown in FIG. FIG. 12 illustrates another example of the work time master, and the work time can be searched by the work classification (indicated by the operation number), the size and / or weight of the part, and the number of parts. FIG. 13 shows an input screen for automatically retrieving the work time. When the work type is selected (field 160), the part number is input, and the number of parts is input (field 162), the work time master is searched. The working time is displayed (column 164).

The work mutual constraint master 108 of FIG. 7 indicates that this work can be performed only after completion of a certain work, or that this work and this work must be performed in the same process. The condition is stored. As shown by the arrow 14 in FIG.
Conditions such as "work 4 must be performed before" or "work 4 and 5 must be performed in the same process" are stored as indicated by arrow 12. These constraint conditions are accumulated in the mutual work constraint master 108 by the planning operator inputting information. In the case where the parts-assembly work master 104 stores the relation between the works before and after, the information is also stored in the work mutual constraint master 108.

The equipment restraint master 110 of FIG. 7 stores restraint conditions of work execution positions for parts and works. For example, since the work 6 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a work that uses the fixed equipment 26, the restraint condition that the work 6 must be performed in the process 2 is stored in the equipment restraint master 110. These restraint conditions are accumulated in the facility restraint master 110 by inputting information by the planning worker.

The in-process work list 114 stores a work group ID distributed to one work and a work order in the process. The work group ID and the work order in the process are stored for each process. . The in-process work list 114 is for deciding the work distribution, and is intended to be finally decided. However, in the process up to the decision, it is tentatively decided, and elements that cannot be calculated unless decided. For example, the walking time can be calculated. In order to calculate the walking time, information on the work position and work order is required, and the work order is not fixed until work distribution is decided. In this case, it is impossible to plan work distribution in consideration of walking time. In the present technology, the stored contents of the in-process work list 114 are updated by adopting a method of tentatively determining the work order, calculating the walking time based on the work order, and correcting the work order based on the calculation result. . Off-the-shelf work list 116
Stores a process determined for a product already produced, a work distributed to the process, and a work order within the process. In the in-process work list 116 of ready-made products and the in-process work list 114 for drafting, the parts to be used in association with the work are specified.

The search means 118 searches the parts stored in the product-used parts group list 102 and also stored in the in-process work list 116 of the ready-made products, and finds the searched parts in the in-process work. Store in list 114. Here, the same in-process work order is stored in association with the processes stored in the ready-made in-process work list 116. As a result, among the works for the new product for which work distribution is to be planned from now on, for the parts and works common to the ready-made products, work distributions having the same work order and the same work order as the ready-made products are planned for the time being. In-process work list 11 at this stage
In 4, only the parts and work common to the new product and the existing product are stored. FIG. 19B shows a visual display displayed at this stage, which is common to the off-the-shelf tasks 1a and 1a.
b, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1h, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1l
A visual representation of the work distribution consisting of etc. is shown.

The walking time calculating means 120 calculates the walking time between works from the information on the work positions in the product of the preceding and following works. FIG. 16 shows a map referred to by the walking time calculation means, and the in-product work position (see FIG. 15) is taken on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. For example, when the previous work is L1 and the next work position is L2, it can be seen that the walking time of the worker is 0.5 seconds. Note that the product is actually transported by the transport device, and the walking time differs when walking in the same direction as the carrying direction and when walking in the opposite direction. Therefore, in reality, the walking time in FIG. 16 is corrected by the transport speed of the product to obtain the walking time. Since the walking time differs depending on whether the door of the product (in this case, an automobile) is open or closed, two types of maps are prepared in FIG.

The total time calculating means 122 for each process calculates the in-process work time by accumulating the work time and the walking time required when the work stored in the in-process work list is executed in the stored work order. calculate.

The process / work group search means 124 is used when planning a new production line, and automatically calculates work distribution according to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 14, in the case of an automobile, it can be classified into 55 functions. In fact, it can be further subdivided into 115 sub-functions. This 115 classification is the work on the left side of the car,
34 by classifying the work in the center and the work on the right
It can be divided into 5 groups. Approximately 3000 kinds of work can be grouped into 345 groups in this way, and when grouped in this way,
About 10 types of work belong to each group. If there are about 10 types of work, the means 122 (FIG. 7)
The computer can automatically calculate the combination of work distributions in which the total time is approximately equal for each process calculated in step 1. The process / work group search unit 124 automatically calculates and finds a combination of work distributions in which the total time for each process is within a predetermined range when allocating a relatively small work group to a relatively small number of processes. To execute.

When a new product is put into the existing production equipment, the search means 118 tentatively determines the work distribution for the common parts and the common work, and the in-process work list 114.
Memorized in. In the case of a new production facility, the process / work group search means 124 automatically calculates the work distribution utilizing the past know-how, and the automatically calculated work distribution is stored in the in-process work list 114.

When the work group, work order and parts are stored in the in-process work list 114, a "work distribution visual display screen" is displayed on the display device of the computer.
In reality, since the number of processes is large, as shown in FIG. 2, the display is performed using two or more display devices arranged in series (126 in FIG. 7).

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view showing a part of the "work distribution visual display screen", and one vertical bar corresponds to one process. The vertical axis shows the passage of time from bottom to top,
The work progresses from bottom to top in each process. clearly,
In the Y-axis (vertical axis) direction, work time and walking time are integrated and displayed according to the work order in the process. In this "work distribution visual display screen", the time is indicated by the length in the Y-axis direction, and the work order is indicated by the order in the Y-axis direction. The progress of the work group is displayed in the form of stacking blocks. In the “work distribution visual display screen”, the constraint condition between the works (in FIG. 17, it is shown that a straight line is drawn between the two works whose front-rear relationship is restricted by the structure priority relationship and the front-rear relationship is restricted. And the constraint relationship between the work and the process (in FIG. 17, since the fixed equipment is used, the work position is constrained by the line segment drawn from the fixed equipment to the work position. The work position and specifications are displayed, and the layout of the production equipment is displayed in the lower column in association with the process. A block indicating the walking time (shown with a broken line) is also loaded in the block display of the working time. FIG. 18 schematically shows the stored contents of the in-process work list 114, in which work IDs are stored in association with processes and work orders. In addition,
The walking work is not stored as an independent work, and the walking time is displayed on the “work distribution visual display screen” when the work positions of the front and rear works are different.

FIG. 19A exemplifies a "work distribution visual display screen" displayed based on the contents stored in the in-process work list 116 of ready-made products. It is also displayed that the works 1b to 1d must be performed in the same process, and the work 1e must be performed before the work 1i. FIG. 19 (B)
Is a part included in the parts list 102 of the new product, which is stored in the in-process work list 116 of the existing product, is temporarily stored in the in-process work list, and "Visual display screen of" is displayed. It is displayed that the works 1c and 1g required for the ready-made product are unnecessary for the new product, and the works 1m and 1n are required instead. Since the works 1m and 1n are not yet associated with the process, a display indicating the work time of the works 1m and 1n by the length in the Y-axis direction is additionally displayed in the block display. Here, the number at the head of the symbols that specify the work is the priority order when the production processes are roughly classified. Since the displays showing the works of 1m and 1n that are not yet associated with the process are displayed at the positions corresponding to the priority order when the production processes are roughly classified, the work allocation planners need to allocate the work from now on. A work can be found near the block representation of work groups with the same priority. For this reason, by a so-called click-and-drop operation using a mouse, it is possible to incorporate a symbol indicating a work that is not yet associated with a process into a block expression so as to be associated with the process.

The designation and movement tools 1 to N in FIG. 7 are screen operation tools such as a mouse, and by using them, a specific work is designated in the "work distribution visual display screen" and an arbitrary position is designated. Can be moved to. 20
In the “Work distribution visual display screen”, work 20
A state in which 0 is designated and removed from the process 202 is shown, and the planning worker can drop the designated work 200 at an arbitrary position. When dropped, the stored contents of the in-process work list 114 illustrated in FIG. 18 are updated. For this purpose, updating means 132 (FIG. 7) is prepared. When the stored content of the in-process work list 114 is updated, it corresponds to the “work distribution visual display screen” after the movement. When the walking time changes due to the movement of the work, the walking time is corrected in the “work distribution visual display screen”. If the walking becomes unnecessary, is newly required, or the walking time is shortened or lengthened due to the movement of the work, the display is corrected to the corresponding one. By moving the work, the work mutual restraint master 10
6 and the constraint condition stored in the facility constraint master 110, the computer detects it and issues an alarm. For this purpose, an alarm means 136 is prepared. FIG. 21 shows a warning screen, and warns that the movement is not allowed because the structural priority relationship is broken by the movement of the work.

The work time / retrieval means 130 of FIG. 7, when the work distribution planning worker designates the work time, the computer searches the parts-assembly work master 104 for the work time approximate to the input work time. It is a means for searching and displaying the work to have and providing information to the planning worker. FIG. 22 shows an input screen at the time of search. When the search condition is input and the search key is clicked, the computer starts the search. FIG. 23 exemplifies a list display of search results, and illustrates a case where some works satisfying the search condition are searched. By using this function, the planning worker, for example,
In FIG. 24, the process 24 that is less than the tact time 242
It is possible to know work candidates that may be appropriate to be allocated to four. When the retrieved work is a work displayed on another display device, the display screen 246 of the other display device can be displayed on its own display device.
By using this function, it is possible to move work between processes that are far apart.

FIG. 8 shows a network of computers, and the work distribution planning support device is composed of a plurality of computers 1.
44, 146, 148 may be connected and configured by the network 142. Each computer 144,
Reference numerals 146 and 148 function as terminals of the work distribution planning support apparatus, and the above-described product-use parts group list 102, parts-assembly master 104, work time master 106, work mutual restraint master 108, facility restraint master 110. Information can be obtained from and the in-process work list 114 can be updated. Computers 144, 146, 1
An input terminal 150 such as a keyboard, a screen operation terminal 152 such as a mouse, and a display device 154 are connected to 48.

A product design computer group 137 is connected to the network 142, and the work distribution planning support apparatus obtains the product-specific component group list from the product design computer group 137 and uses the product-specific component group list. 10
Store in 2. Further, a production management computer group 138 is connected to the network 142, and the work distribution planning support apparatus obtains from the production management computer group 138 information on which product is produced at what time.
It is stored in the product-production quantity list storage means 140.

According to the work distribution planning support apparatus of this embodiment, when a new product is put into the existing production equipment, the search means 118 tentatively determines the work distribution for the common parts and the common work, and the in-process work is performed. Stored in list 114, the visual display of Figure 19B is shown. FIG. 19
In (B), the work distribution of the ready-made products is followed for the parts and the work common to the ready-made products and the new products, and the work hours and the like are displayed for the parts and works unique to the new product without being associated with the process. . The work distribution planning worker can know the work to be distributed from now on at a glance, and the work distribution planning worker is displayed in the vicinity of the process to be integrated. Is
Work distribution that does not conflict with work distribution of ready-made products can be planned in a short time. In case of new production equipment, process /
The work group search means 124 automatically calculates a work distribution utilizing the past know-how, stores the automatically calculated work distribution in the in-process work list 114, and visually displays the automatically planned work distribution. Work allocation planning Workers, while looking at the visual display created by either method, decide the process to be allocated for work that has not been allocated yet, and use the mouse for some unreasonable work allocation. By moving it, the work distribution can be improved to be rational. Since this process is shown visually, the process of improving the rational work distribution is strongly supported, and it is possible to plan rational work distribution without overwork and waste within a short time.

The work distribution planning support apparatus of this embodiment is provided with various tools for visually grasping the degree of unreasonable waste existing in work distribution. FIG. 25 (A) shows
When mixed production of A, B, and C products is performed, the work time in a specific process is displayed separately for each product, and it is immediately understood that the work load is high at the time of producing the product A. FIG. 25 (B) shows the variation of the average working time for each process when 800 units of A product, 250 units of B product and 100 units of C product are mixed and produced, and it is more than 2 It indicates that the work load is higher in the process. The average working time of each process is a value obtained by taking a weighted average. If the working time of the A product is TA, the working time of the B product is TB, and the working time of the C product is TC, the average working time is TA. × 800/115
0 + TB x 250/1150 + TC x 100/1150
Calculated by

FIG. 26A shows a visual display displayed according to the in-process work order. (B) shows a switching display in which only walking time is aggregated and displayed by shifting to the lower side, and (C) shows a switching display in which only actual work time is aggregated and displayed by shifting to the lower side. . According to (B), the total walking time in the process is visually grasped, and according to (C), the total working time in the process is visually grasped. By utilizing these switching displays, it is possible to visually evaluate whether or not the work distribution without excessive waste has been planned.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a screen in which the movements of the workers when actually working in accordance with the work distribution are displayed in animation after the work distribution is determined. It is possible to verify in advance whether there is any interference.

The work distribution planning support apparatus of this embodiment is provided with a program for evaluating the planned work distribution. FIG. 28 exemplifies evaluation results, and evaluations from various viewpoints are shown, and evaluation items that do not satisfy the pass rate are highlighted. It is confirmed by this evaluation that the work distribution evaluated as acceptable is a work distribution that is actually satisfactory.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a work distribution planning support device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of display devices are arranged in parallel to display a series of visual displays.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a visual display of averaged work distribution and a visual display of work distribution for each product are switched and displayed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the structural features of the work distribution planning support device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another structural feature of the work distribution planning support device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a working time calculation device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the work distribution planning support device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a network configuration of a work distribution planning support device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of stored contents of a used parts group list.

FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplifying stored contents of a parts-assembly master.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of stored contents of a working time master.

FIG. 12 is a diagram exemplifying another storage content of a work time master.

FIG. 13 is a diagram used for input when searching for work time.

FIG. 14 is a diagram exemplifying the relationship between product function classifications and priority orders when manufacturing processes are roughly classified.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a work position in a product.

FIG. 16 is a map referred to by a walking time calculation means.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a part of the visual display of work distribution in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 18 is a diagram exemplifying stored contents of a work list in a process.

FIG. 19 (A) is a diagram visually displaying work distribution of ready-made products. (B) is a figure which illustrates the visual display screen displayed when it inspects using a new product part group as a key.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a state in which a specific work is designated and moved on the visual display screen.

FIG. 21 is a warning drawing displayed when a constraint condition is violated as a result of a specific work being specified and moved.

FIG. 22 is a drawing used when designating a search condition such as a working time.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of displaying a list of retrieved work groups.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing how another screen is referenced.

FIG. 25 is a diagram exemplifying a variation in work time for each product and a variation in work time averaged for a product for each process.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a visual display of normal work distribution, a visual display of aggregated walking time, and a visual display of aggregated work time in comparison.

FIG. 27 is a diagram exemplifying an animation display screen when working with a planned work distribution.

FIG. 28 is an example of an evaluation screen for evaluating the degree of completion of work distribution.

FIG. 29 is a processing procedure diagram for automatically calculating work allocation by the process / work group search means 124 for a new production facility.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A computer for supporting a process of allocating a plurality of works to a plurality of processes and allocating a work group to which process when a product is produced through the plurality of processes, and the computer is for each work. The work list storage means that stores the work time of the work and the work position in the product, and the work group that stores the work group allocated to the process and the work order within the process for each process A list storage means, a means for calculating the walking time of the worker from the work order stored in the in-process work list storage means and the work position in the product of the work of the work order, and the steps are taken along the X axis. At the position of each process in the screen where time is taken along the Y-axis, a "work distribution visual display screen" is displayed in which the work time and the walking time are integrated and displayed in the Y-axis direction according to the work order in the process. And a means for allowing the planning worker to move by designating a specific work in the displayed “work distribution visual display screen”, and the stored contents of the in-process work list storage means according to the movement result. A work distribution planning support device using a "work distribution visual display screen", which is provided with means for updating. 2. A restraint condition storage means for storing restraint conditions between works, and a means for issuing a warning when the movement result of the movement permitting means violates the restraint conditions. The work distribution planning support device according to claim 1. 3. The work distribution planning support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for additionally displaying a symbol indicating a constraint condition between works in the “work distribution visual display screen”. 4. A constraint condition storing means for storing constraint conditions for work and process, a means for additionally displaying a production facility layout in association with a process in a “work distribution visual display screen”, and the movement allowance. The work distribution planning support device according to claim 1, further comprising means for issuing a warning when the movement result of the means violates the constraint condition. 5. A means for additionally displaying a display showing a takt time in the “visual display screen of work distribution”, and a work input by searching the work list storage means with the work time input by a planning worker as a key. The work distribution planning support device according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a work group having a work time close to time. 6. The apparatus further comprises means for switching and displaying to a "aggregated work distribution visual display screen" for collectively displaying work time and walking time for each process of the "work distribution visual display screen". The work distribution planning support device according to claim 1. 7. The work distribution planning support device according to claim 1, wherein the "work distribution visual display screen" is displayed using two or more display devices arranged in series. 8. The work time and the walking time between the work are plotted at the position of each process in the screen where the process is taken along the X axis and the time is taken along the Y axis according to the order of work in the process. A computer that displays a "work distribution visual display screen" that is cumulatively displayed in each direction. 9. The computer according to claim 8, further displaying a work time of a work that is not associated with a process, the work time being represented by a length in the Y-axis direction. 10. The computer according to claim 8, wherein the production facility layout is additionally displayed in association with the process. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the planning worker is allowed to designate a specific work in the “work distribution visual display screen” and move it within the “work distribution visual display screen”. Computer. 12. A "visual display of work distribution for a specific product" and a "visualized display of work distribution averaged" that displays the weighted average work time and walking time for product groups that are mixed and produced within a unit period. The computer according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein a "screen" can be switched and displayed. 13. A display device of a computer, at the position of each process in the screen where the process is taken along the X axis and the time is taken along the Y axis, the work time and the work interval are determined according to the order of work in the process. A program that displays a "work distribution visual display screen" in which the walking time of each is displayed in the Y-axis direction. 14. A computer for supporting a process of deciding which work group is allocated to which process when a plurality of works are distributed to a plurality of processes and a product is produced through the plurality of processes. Used part group list storage means that stores the parts group used for each, and the work of assembling each part, the work time, the work position in the product, and the priority order when the production process is roughly classified Parts-assembly work master storage means, in-process work list storage means that stores, for each process, the work group allocated to that process and the work order within that process, and in-process work list storage A means for calculating the walking time of the worker from the work order stored in the means and the work position in the product of the work of that work order, and the total time of the work time and the walk time in the process for each process A means for calculating and a work group to be allocated to a process are searched and stored in the in-process work list storage means under the condition that the total time is within a predetermined time within the range of the priority order when roughly classified. A work distribution planning support device comprising means for storing. 15. A computer which supports a process of allocating a plurality of works to a plurality of processes and allocating which work group to which process when producing a product through the plurality of processes, and the computer is already in production. For the started product, for each process, a part group used in the process, a work group distributed to the process, and a work order in-process work list storage means of the existing product that stores the work order in the process, The parts list storage means for the new product that stores the parts group used for the product to be manufactured from now on, the work of assembling each part, the work time, the work position in the product, and the production process. Parts that store the priority order when roughly classified-assembly work master storage means and in-process work of existing products using the parts stored in the used product group list storage means of the new product as keys Means for retrieving the storage means and specifying the use process of the part and the work order in the process, and the work, work time and product stored in the part-assembly work master storage means for the part not specified by the means. A work distribution planning support device comprising means for displaying a priority order when the internal work position and the production process are roughly classified.